News in brief

POLICE are reported to have arrested more than 300 people in the Punjab, including 165 members of the Pakistan Muslim League, the party of Nawaz Sharif, the deposed Pakistani Prime Minister.

Lahore police said yesterday that they had arrested Muslim League members to stop Sharif's wife, Kulsoom, leading a march to Peshawar today to protest at his life imprisonment for hijacking and terrorism. He is also facing multiple corruption charges. Ahmed Rashid, Lahore

Fiji deadline

A DEADLINE for Fijian rebels to release Mahendra Chaudhry, the deposed Prime Minister, and most of his cabinet has been extended by 24 hours as a goodwill gesture to aid talks, the army said yesterday.

Reprimand for kiss General

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THE United States Army said yesterday that it had substantiated charges by Lt Gen Claudia Kennedy that she was sexually harassed by Maj Gen Larry Smith, who kissed her against her will in her Pentagon office in 1996. Maj Gen Smith would retire with a reprimand, said an official.

Khmer Rouge trials deal

THE United Nations and Cambodia yesterday finalised a draft agreement to bring 30 former leaders of the Khmer Rouge to trial. The accord may run into opposition from former members of the Maoist movement when it goes to parliament for ratification. Alex Spillius, Bangkok

Ex-Politburo chiefs cleared

A BERLIN court acquitted three former members of East Germany's ruling Politburo yesterday on charges related to the killings of people trying to flee the former Communist state.

The trial was expected to be the last attempt by the German authorities to punish the old regime's leaders for hundreds of deaths during the Berlin Wall's 28 years.

Gulls terrorise Côte d'Azur

FLOCKS of aggressive seagulls are terrorising tourists and residents at the resorts of the Côte d'Azur.

From Nice to Monaco, the gulls are reported to have attacked people, pets and other birds. One woman's terrier was swooped on, drowned and devoured. Numbers have increased 50-fold over the past decade.

Syria lifts ban on car imports

SYRIA has lifted a 30-year ban on private car imports in a sign of continuing economic reform that means relief for drivers trying to coax more life from decades-old vehicles.

Officials said yesterday that the decree stipulated that the imported cars should be no more than two years old. Patched-up Sixties vehicles are a common sight on the roads of Syria.

Dead wrong

A MAN left for dead in a hospital morgue for three days is to sue, South African television reported yesterday.

Jako Lekorotsoana, of Lesotho, was declared dead after a hit-and-run accident in 1996.